Ellsworth launches social media network

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarad A. Denton
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  In response to the Air Force granting access to social media sites from government workstations, the 28th Bomb Wing launched its social media network May 7.

The network, which features an Ellsworth Facebook page and Twitter account for both the 28 BW and Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro, 28 BW commander, was designed to provide a broader vector for communicating the wing's message.

"We can't ignore the far-reaching impact of social media," said Colonel Taliaferro. "It provides us the vehicle to communicate with our Airmen and their families."

Ellsworth Air Force Base Facebook

The 28 BW Facebook page is meant to serve as an extension of the official Ellsworth Web site, www.ellsworth.af.mil.

Airmen can login to Facebook and either "fan" or "like" the 28 BW Facebook page, which will give them access to stories, photos, videos and events of interest to Ellsworth.

"A Facebook page provides an additional communication tool that compliments what we already do with our official site," said Lt. Col. Jason Combs, 28 BW director of staff. "It will be exciting to see how Airmen respond to the 28 BW's new Web site."

One of the features available is a photo-tagging system, which will allow photographs of Ellsworth Airmen to be linked to their individual Facebook page. Another feature allows links and status updates to be sent directly to the 28 BW Twitter account.

28thBombWing Twitter

The 28 BW Twitter account provides Airmen with real-time updates on events happening at Ellsworth. It is designed to give Airmen short and direct pieces of information, accompanied by links to more in-depth coverage.

"Twitter gives us an opportunity to keep Airmen informed with condensed messages they can receive 'on-the-go,'" said Colonel Combs.


Airmen can follow both the 28 BW Twitter and the official Twitter account of Colonel Taliaferro.

Raider_01 Twitter

In addition to an official 28 BW Facebook and Twitter pages, Colonel Taliaferro has his own Twitter account, "Raider_01."

The account is designed to serve as an open forum for Airmen to ask questions and follow updates from the wing commander.

"While I encourage Airmen to still try to resolve any issues through their chain of command, I want them to feel comfortable in asking me questions through my Twitter account," Colonel Taliaferro said.

Colonel Taliaferro also encourages Airmen to check for updates to the Facebook and Twitter accounts on a regular basis.

"There is so much going on at Ellsworth and we don't want our Airmen to miss out on any of the opportunities offered," he said.

OPSEC

While social media access has been granted throughout Air Combat Command as of May 1, Airmen are reminded to observe proper operational security when accessing and posting to the Web sites.

"Social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the like are excellent means for all Airmen to share information, address concerns and express their ideas in an open forum," said Maj. Robert Kelly, 28th Communications Squadron commander. "The intent is to exploit the talents of our outstanding Airmen and to quickly disseminate information."

Major Kelly said with this newfound method of communication comes "many inherent challenges and vulnerabilities."

· Remember to practice good operational security. Once something is posted online, it is forever online.
· Government computers are for official use only. Personal conversations should be saved for off-duty hours.
· Airmen should understand social media sites are not a network safe-haven and should not use links from unknown sources.
· Remember to extend military bearing and professional customs and courtesies into cyberspace.

"Embrace these new tools," Major Kelly said. "But, be smart and remember that when signing onto a government computer to acknowledge the consent to monitoring. This extends to private Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social networking sites if accessed from a government computer."

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